Our laboratory is part of the new Institute of Biomaterials, Drug Delivery, and Regenerative Medicine (link). Our Laboratory of Biomaterials, Drug Delivery,
Bionanotechnology and Molecular Recognition has been the leading group and pacesetter in the
field of drug delivery and controlled release,
a field that has been developed into a mature area
of scholarly and applied research. In addition we
have had extensive contributions in biomaterials
and bionanotechnology, and have contributed
seminal work in the field of feedback controlled
biomedical devices. The multidisciplinary approach
of this research in bionanotechnology and
biomolecular engineering blends modern molecular
and cellular biology with engineering to generate
next-generation systems and devices, including bioMEMS
with enhanced applicability, reliability, functionality,
and longevity. Our contributions have been translated
into more than twenty medical products with multibillion
dollar markets.

Our recent research has concentrated in three major areas, protein drug delivery, recognitive systems for diagnosis and delivery of therapeutic agents, and regenerative medicine or tissue engineering. For this work he has received significant funding in the last six years (he has been at UT since January 2003) from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Texas 4000, the US-Portugal program and numerous companies.

The Johns Hopkins Center for Nanomedicine held its first seminar on Fri., Feb. 17. Dr. Nicholas Peppas, the Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and member of the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine presented, The Promise of Biotechnology: Solving Scientific Puzzles in Biomaterials and Drug Delivery.

On February 17, Dr. Peppas was awarded with the inaurgural Pioneer of Nanomedicine Award from the Johns Hopkins Center for Nanomedicine
Link to Article

On December 16, Dr. Peppas was invited to the University of Porto where he presented an invited lecture on Responsive and Intelligent Biopolymers for Recognitive Systems, Biosensing and Protein Delivery. He visited the i3S Instituto de Investigacao e Inovacao em Saude, of the University of Porto.

On December 5, Dr. Peppas visited the College of Engineering at Texas Tech University and presented a Presidential Lecture on Responsive and Intelligent Biopolymers for Recognitive Systems, Biosensing and Protein Delivery.

On December 2, Dr. Peppas was a guest of the Dell Medical School in Austin and presented his latest medical research. The subject of his talk was Impact of Novel Intelligent and Recognitive Biomaterials and Drug Release Devices in Medicine.

On Tuesday, November 15, many former students and friends gathered at the AIChE meeting in San Francisco to celebrate in a special three-section symposium entitled In Honor of Nicholas Peppas III - 40 Years of Impact at the Frontiers of Science and Engineering. There were talks by 28 former students and friends. Nicholas gave a talk on 40 Years of Research, Student Education, and Fun. The evening closed with a nice dinner especially for this occasion.

At the Regenerative Engineering plenary session at the AIChE meeting, in San Francisco , CA, Dr. Peppas gave a plenary lecture on Cell, Peptide and Protein Delivery Problems in Regenerative Engineering on November 14. In addittion, the same day he gave an invited talk in the Mid-Career Faculty Forum: What Comes after Tenure where he spoke about And Now What? Dedicate Your Life to Helping the Students and Citizens of This World.

On November 7, Dr. Peppas visited the Chemical Engineering Department of Vanderbilt University in Nashville TN, and presented the Tis Lahiri Lecture on Responsive and Intelligent Biopolymers for Recognitive Systems, Biosensing and Protein Delivery

On October 30-November 3, Dr. Peppas was invited by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing to participate as an invited speaker in the 2016 World Life Science Conference. He spoke on the Impact of Novel Intelligent and Recognitive Biomaterials in Medical Sciences.

On November 2, Dr. Peppas visited the Biomedical Engineering Department of Beihang University in Beijing, and gave a seminar on Intelligent Biomaterials to Control Recognition and Specificity.

On October 19 and 20, Dr. Peppas participated in the National Materials and Manufacturing Board in Washington, DC.

Peppas was the recipient of the 2016 Pritzker Lectureship of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the highest recognition of this organization. He gave a plenary lecture on Designing the Next Generation of Intelligent Biomaterials and Hydrogels: Molecular Recognition and Advanced Protein and Cell Delivery in Minneapolis, MN, on October 6.

On September 27, Dr. Peppas was a plenary speaker at the Sichuan Materials meeting,held in Chengdu,China. He spoke on Intelligent Biomaterials to Control Recognition and Specificity.

Dr. Peppas participated in the International Forum on Clinical and Translational Medicine organized by Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), Chinese Academy of Medical Science (CAMS) and NIH Clinical Translational Medicine Center. The actual plenary lecture was on September 26 in Shanghai, Chian and he spoke about Molecularly and Cellularly Imprinted, Intelligent Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering.

Dr. Peppas gave two talks at the Nanotechnology meeting in Porto Heli, Greece on June 30

Dr. Peppas visited Ankara, Turkey and participated in the Bilkent University Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Symposium, known as MNANORay 2016, on May 26. His plenary lecture was on Intelligent and Recognitive Biomaterials and Drug Release Devices in Medicine.

World Congress Biomaterials Montreal May 18

Dr. Peppas gave the seminar Intelligent Nanoscale Biopolymers for Recognitive and Responsive Delivery of Drugs, Peptides and Proteins, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, College of Engineering, April 21, 2016, Distinguished Lecturer. http://bme.ucdavis.edu/events/distinguished-seminar-series-nicholas-peppas-university-of-texas-at-austin/

Dr. Peppas gave the Lowrie Lectures at Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, on Advances in Protein and siRNA Delivery Through Smart Polymers, and Perspective of Nanotechnology and Bioengineering in an Evolving Chemical Engineering World, on April 1 and 2, 2016.

Peppas presented a lecture at the MIT Medical Engineering Department on March 3, 2016

Peppas gave the Pritzker Lecture on Intelligent Nanoscale Biopolymers for Recognitive and Responsive Delivery of Drugs, Peptides and Proteins at Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois, on February 17, 2016.

On December 17, Dr. Peppas presented a new invited talk on Intelligent and diagnostic therapeutic systems at the US-Japan Drug Delivery meeting.

On November 23, Dr. Peppas gave an invited seminar at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, China. He spoke on the Past, Present and Future of Biomaterials.

On November 20, Dr. Peppas have a plenary lecture at the 2015 Chinese Biomaterials Congress, in Haiku, Hainan, China. He spoke on Smart Biomaterials for Diagnosis of Diseases and Improvement of the Quality of Life of Patients.

On November 17, Dr. Peppas headed a delegation of US NAE member who participated at a Forum on Grand Challenges for Biomaterials in the 21st Century in Chengdu, China. He spoke on The Challenge to Improve the Response of Biomaterials to the Physiological Environment.

On September 1, Dr. Peppas received the International Award from the European Society for BiomatKrakow lecture. He presented a seminar on Intelligent Polymer Hydrogels: From Obscure Molecular Structures to Useful Multifunctional Systems.

On July 27, Dr. Peppas was recognized for his seminal contributions to the field of Controlled Release at the International CRS meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland. He spoke on Intelligent Polymer Hydrogels: From Obscure Molecular Structures to Useful Multifunctional Systems for Drug and Protein Delivery, Targeting and Molecular Sensing. At the same meeting a Travel fellowship in his name was established.

On June 4, Dr. Peppas presented a plenary lecture on Intelligent and Recognitive Nanoscale Systems for New Therapeutic Applications at the 10th Panhellenic Chemical Engineering Symposium in Patras, Greece.

In June, Dr. Peppas traveled to Patras, Greece, where he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Patras. He gave an inaugural lecture on Molecular Networks and Hydrogels in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering (June 3, 2015).